Monday, December 18, 2017

It Is A Misty, Moisty Evening

That is what the lettuce looks like tonight after it rained. The flashlight shows the diamond water drops, and how amazing to think that even at night, it is that green, needing only a shaft of light to draw the color back from the darkness.

I went to Costco which wasn't nearly as crowded as you would think it might be, one week before Christmas. I walked about with my cart the size of Montana, texting my children, "Would you want this? Or this? Do you need this?" and so forth and the samples were crazy good, the best cheeses and salty ham, sliced as thin as an assassin's blade. That was my lunch, each of those bites added together and it was delicious. I have gotten a very, very good start to the whole gift thing and of course I feel guilty because none of what I bought was "local" or "locally sourced" nor did the purchase of any of it contribute to a cleaner planet, a healthier community, or a starving artist.
It all is what it is which is the booty/bounty of what I could fill my cart with and someone is making a living, either where the products were made or here where the employees keep the shelves stocked, serve up the samples, check people out with such fine efficiency. One of the things I love about Costco is the way I see the same employees year after year. I almost feel as if I have developed a sort of relationship with some of them. The lady who found my wallet when I inadvertently left it is someone I always look for and when I see her, I hug her so hard. In the whole word of huggers, she is definitely in the top ten and she is most amazing eye-make-up applier I have ever seen. Please do not think I am being ironic here. Her eyes always remind me of mermaid eyes. They would be beautiful naked but she makes them into works of art.
What was I talking about? Oh yes- everything is local somewhere and I do understand that this is hardly what "buying local" is meant to do. I am not ignorant. I am just a horrible shopper.

I reached a point in my shopping where I suddenly HAD TO GET OUT OF THERE and I did and when the cashier rang me up and announced my total I almost fainted.
"Whoa!" I said, and she said, "That accelerated quickly, didn't it? You have fallen prey to the lure of consumerism." I wondered if perhaps she has a degree in philosophy or poetry or something like that as that was not the response I was expecting but it was awesome.

So. Mrs. Moon, you may be wanting to ask, Do you still have a husband?
I am fairly sure that I do and he will be home within the hour after having driven all the way from Tennessee today. I am going to make him a salad from that lettuce in the picture and clam spaghetti and warm up some of the Parmesan/Rosemary bread that I bought at the Costco which is absolutely some of the best bread I've ever personally eaten.

The leaves are dripping onto the leaf-strewn ground and I can hear a lonely frog singing off in the distance. Cars go by and their wheels make ssshhhushing sounds as they drive through the puddles on the wet road. It is so warm that one questions the date on the calendar. I took a nap this afternoon and when I woke, I had to think for a minute about what time of day and season it was.
Ah yes. Late afternoon, almost the winter solstice. Christmas will be here in a blink and the days will start growing longer.
It is comforting to think that no matter how much we humans screw things up, the solstice is something we can count on. It is real and true and eternal and can be observed and predicted and proven and celebrated. The light returns, not in theory or as a metaphor. It is not only evidence-based, it is science-based.

I’m going to Costco tomorrow to pick up my new glasses and probably spend at least half my pay check.

Here is my feeling a about Costco. They have long term employees because it’s a good place to work. Their employer pays them well and offers benefits. The owner brings in a lot but not millions upon millions. Seniority means something. Compare that to Walmart. Minimum wage. Exploits its workers. No benefits. Owners bring in billions for themselves and it’s never enough. They will only sell products if they are sold to Walmart at massive discounts, putting even large companies into difficult financial circumstances, making little profit. They can’t not sell to Walmart. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. There are dozens of other things but I am too tired to get into it. Costco is mostly good. Walmart is mostly evil. I try very hard to not shop at Walmart, but do get stuff there occasionally. I freaking love Costco. And Amazon. I love Amazon too. At the end of the day, I’m a hypocrite.

I'm exactly with you on why I will shop at Costco but not Walmart. Walmart is evil unless they've entirely changed their ways in the last few months or so. And I am a hypocrite too, buying through Amazon when I "need" to.

humid here too. so freaking humid. was foggy last night driving back from yoga. overcast and warm enough to have the door open but so humid! next Monday we will have lows in the 20s and highs in the 40s but today it might just as well be spring.

I too woke up this morning in a pickle about my lack of christmas preparation including the buying of gifts and i went online and pretty much spent the whole day ordering presents and now they will all arrive tomorrow and I will wrap them and put them under the tree thereby making it through yet another holiday season.And yes, I too fell prey to the lure of consumerism, and it surely did add up quickly and not a single thought about buying local crawled through my brain, but as you so rightly point out, my purchases are keeping somebody employed, somewhere.

I try very hard to answer every comment I get. This is important to me because otherwise, it's not a dialogue. Sometimes life gets busy and I can't, but I do try.
Please e-mail me for any reason whatsoever at mmerluna@aol.com